Her Choice
by CannaLily
Summary: What if she is the avenger? What if it was her who became cursed? What if she became that one traitor everyone wants dead? What if it was a decision she had made? And what if… only she knows? How, pray tell, would the story go?
1. Chapter 1

Her

"That would only be 200 yen a piece for the beautiful lady." The middle-aged man smiled with a glint of malice in his dark brown eyes. Sakura crossed her arms on her chest and raise one fine brow.

"Excuse me?" Her voice a bit lower, more icy.

"Alright, alright! How about, I give you two for 300 yen? That's already a bargain for you!" The pink-haired girl held back a grin. _I won. _She grabbed the plateand dropped three coins on the counter.

"Thank you very much." She stated, walking off.

It's been almost two years since the Fourth Shinobi World War ended. Their loss was great and so was its impact to the village. Although most civilians were saved, a lot of shinobis, stranger or not, didn't make it. The village is still far from its former glory but they are all working their way to it. Thus, her mission to escort the caravan carrying rice and bread from Land Country back to Konoha. She decided buying a few tea leaves considering they are stopping over Tea Country for the night. Aside from it being quite a necessity for them people, it is also useful as herbs at some point. She sat down on a bench on a deserted pathway. Her cup of green tea keeping her warm in the cold night. She ate one sakuramochi quietly and imagined Konoha before the war- the street lights, the warmth coming from the houses, the children's laughter while playing in the dark, her friends, her teachers…

_It will never be the same anymore, not without them_.

"Sakura-san, most of the people have retired for the night. We left the caravan where you told us to." A young shinobi- a trainee _per se_- reported to her, slightly fidgeting under her scrutinizing stare.

"Good work, Hoshi-san. You might as well turn in for the night too. Leave the watching over to me." Sakura spotted a trash can near the bench and disposed of the plate and cup.

"Hai, Sakura-san! If you need any help you can just-"

"It's alright, it's nothing I can't handle." She dusted her skirt and turned to the boy who straightened up upon meeting her stare. He gave a hurried bow and half-ran back to the inn where the others are. Sakura sighed. _He still got a long way to go._

She checked the caravans one last time- counted the number of boxes and sacks- and re-checked the list given to her by the newly appointed Hokage.

_Speaking of, I wonder what he's doing._

That blonde blob may be an airhead but it was thanks to him they managed to survive the war. Not without a few sacrifices though. Sakura folded the list and placed it in her coat pocket. She went to the caravan at the middle and sat on top of the boxes. Leaving the flap slightly opened, she stared at the star-filled night sky and sighed. She decided to close her eyes to see if she can find sleep, but it seems to her it was a bad decision. Her mind traveled from one dead comrade to another, her heart quenching upon remembering their smiling faces first, then how they looked like lifeless. She opened her eyes, tears attempting to fall.

_I can't cry now. Not anymore._

Her eyes found yet again the night sky and its bluish-black color which reminds her of someone.

_Sasuke._

The last time she saw him was when he and the snake bastard joined the fight against Obito and Madara. He wasn't initially on their side though. She remembered meeting his eyes for a few seconds. She remembered him using a powerful jutsu that caused his eyes to bleed incessantly. She remembered the snake bastard stabbing him with his own kusanagi. She remembered him finally putting an end to that snake bastard's life. She remembered him getting another fatal wound from Naruto. She remembered meeting his gaze yet again and how his lips twitched upward even for a split second. But before Naruto could even get a hold of him to bring him back, he disappeared.

_Where are you, Sasuke?_

She shifted a bit. The wooden crates are not at all comfortable as a makeshift bed, but she can't risk losing more than they had. Even if it's just a year's supply of food. She pulled out a medical book from her bag and decided to read instead. _All About the Eyes. _Her mind is filled with nothing but the bleeding eyes of her, dare she admit, beloved. They said first love never dies and true love waits. She may be damned because her first love is her true love, and no matter how much she shuns all thoughts of him, her heart would always beat for him. She closed the book she was reading and saw the haze of pink and orange on the horizon.

_A new day, huh?_

Sakura gave out a sarcastic laugh and leaned his head back. When her lips turned down to a frown, she closed her eyes and whispered…

**_If only I can change everything._**

Him

Sitting on the edge of a cliff, Uchiha Sasuke stared at the vast ocean before him. Feeling the cold ocean breeze, he gave out a small sigh. He has finally known peace- physically, that is. But his heart, mind and soul are all a mess. Orochimaru, Kabuto and Uchiha Madara went back to where they originally belong- hell. Uchiha Obito died with Kakashi. The monstrous Jubi was put off by the combined forces of what he heard was the 'Shinobi Alliance Force' and Akatsuki's officially dissolved. There are no more powerful enemies who can break this peace after the last war.

_Two years already, huh?_

He may no longer be a citizen of Konoha, but that doesn't mean he doesn't know what's going on there anymore. Stories are passed from one village to another and it didn't surprise him that the big-breasted lady finally retired as Hokage or that she has chosen Naruto as the new one.

_He did it after all_.

Sasuke let out a small smile. But the pang of jealousy within him did not go unnoticed. His dream was much simpler compared to the dope's, but he hasn't achieve any of it. He is lost and alone. He doesn't know what to do with his life anymore- the very life he sold to the devil twice. He was blinded by his anger in his brother, which he figured out was all pointless in the end. But his pride made him blame his own mistakes to the same village his brother sacrificed his life for. And just as everything is going smoothly for everyone else, it's been chaotic for him. It seems he was destined to lead this life wherein there is no right choice.

_What do I do now?_

Apparently, Konoha gave out word that both Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke were heroes who sacrificed their lives for the village.

_Because I simply disappeared, they assumed I was dead._

However, being the antisocial he was, in the two years he was simply existing, he realized he knew nothing about the world. Despite being just Sasuke with no history or anything, people are comparing him to the Sasuke he was. They are even saying the fact that he looks like that dead traitor, means that he could also be as evil. Even Naruto's words are not enough to change their perception of him. To the world, he was never the Sasuke who used to do B-ranked missions for Konoha; he is simply the traitor who joined Orochimaru and attempted to destroy the village that had been his home for thirteen years. His thought traveled to a blonde blob and a pink-haired girl who were the only living people left that he ever cared for.

_Could they be thinking the same?_

That is when he came to a conclusion that, at this point in time, his life is meaningless.

_I should have just died back then_. _Perhaps I should just kill myself?_

He saw the violet night sky turning into a combination of pink and orange- as if reminding him of something or maybe some people.

_Great. Now I'm feeling worse._

Sasuke unhilted his kusanagi and stabbed it to the ground. He stood up and took out his gashed hitai-ate and tied it to the sword.

_How lonely must I be, making my own grave._

He stood at the very edge of the cliff and let himself fall into the sea.

**_If only things were different._**


	2. Chapter 2

Her

Sakura awoke to the rays of light passing through the window.

_A window?_

She immediately sat up in panic.

_What's going on? Why am I.. in my room?_

Sakura looked at the digital clock with bright green lights blinking '8:00a.m.'

_Did they decide to travel while I'm asleep?_

She threw her blanket aside and searched for her boots. She roamed around the room looking but instead saw something on the floor-length mirror on her closet door that shocked her to no end.

_Impossible._

There she was, staring at her wide-eyed, thirteen year-old self.

_What the hell is going on here?_

She slapped herself pretty hard.

_Ouch! That was just stupid._

Feeling the tingling pain on her cheeks, she tried to think of an explanation as to what's happening. She snapped out of her trance when she heard someone yelling from downstairs.

"Sakura-chan! Wake up! We need to go to the hospital!" In Sakura's entire life, she only knows one person who can shout that loud. She's beyond confused as to what is going on at the moment but, she could only go along with it, at least until she knows what on earth is going on with her. She breathed in deeply and sighed.

_Here goes nothing._

"I can hear you clearly dumbass! Stop shouting!" Putting to mind that this was her five years ago, she looked under her bed and saw there her genin sandals. _Knew it'd be there._ She put it on quickly and ran downstairs, yelling in the process, "Mom, I'm going to the hospital with Naruto!" She slammed the front door shut and was greeted with a confused-looking Naruto.

"Who are you talking to, Sakura-chan?"

"My mother, of course, you _baka_!" She lightly hit the back of his head and walked away to the direction of the hospital, her hands behind her back like usual. It took Naruto a few more seconds before he jogged to her side, hands on the back of his head.

"But, Sakura-chan, isn't your mother, you know, _gone_?" His brows furrowed questioningly.

"Hm? Gone where? I don't think so, Naruto. She would usually tell me if she's to go somewhere." Sakura passed it off with a small smile on her face.

_How can he not know about that? He would even greet her when he comes over to fetch me._

Sakura stopped walking when she noticed him stop too. She turned around and raised a brow. "What now?"

"Sakura-chan, I thought you said you're over it already? Stop pretending, alright? It's not going to make things better." Naruto stared at her worriedly.

"I don't understand what you're saying at all, Naruto. Why would I pretend? Pretend, what?" Sakura raised her voice a bit, confused.

"That she's alive, that's what! I know it's hard for you to be all alone but, we're the same Sakura-chan! And you know you have us!" Naruto let out a sigh. "Let's just not talk about it. Let's go. He should be awake anytime now." Sakura stared at his retreating figure, shocked.

_I am.. alone? What is really going on here? Am I under a genjutsu?_

Sakura convinced herself that if this isn't a dream, it must be a genjutsu and anytime now, she'll wake up. She shook her head and decided to play along.

_That's right. None of this is true._

She catched up to Naruto and smiled.

"I'm sorry. I was just kidding." For a while, the two of them walked in silence, passing through unfamiliar crowds and buildings she couldn't remember being there. She took in her surroundings. They finally reached the hospital. Naruto just went on ahead as if he knew where he is going.

_This isn't the Konoha I grew up in._

"Naruto-"

"Alright! We're here Sakura-chan! Let's just wish he's awake already!" His enthusiasm has returned, she noted.

"Okay, Naruto. But, why are we here anyway?" She finally asked after trying so hard to think of why they'd be visiting the hospital. Naruto's facial expression suddenly turned sour. He placed a hand on her shoulder and sighed.

" Look, Sakura-chan, I know things are awkward between you two, but please at least try to understand him. He's been through quite a lot too, just like us. He may still be repulsive towards you but I swear I tried my best to knock some sense into him! And if he is to try anything, I'll be here to stop him!" Naruto turned to open the door.

"Wait, am I missing something? I just can't-"

"Let's just go in, alright?" He swung the door open and yelled, "Oi, Teme!"

Sakura's eyes widened in shock. Seeing him lying on the hospital bed with a bandage wrapped aroung his head, felt like _déjà vu _to her.

_I remember this happening before. __But it was for a different reason. Why does everything seem different? Why do I feel so lost in this world?_

Then, she saw that spiky, raven hair and she was literally frozen to that spot- unmoving and unable to speak anything but a soft, "Sasuke".

_Something's not quite right._

Him

Sasuke felt the wind coursing through his body as he fell. He felt pain on his head as he hit the water, head first. He held his breath for as long as he can and opened his eyes.

_So the sun has risen._

He squinted his eyes when it met a ray of light. He can feel his lungs screaming for air.

_I can see light._

Sasuke felt searing pain in his nose when his lungs finally gave up. Then there was darkness.

"Oi, Teme!"

"Naruto, I don't think you should-"

"Temeeee!"

"Naruto, maybe he still needs to-"

"Sasuke-temeee!"

Sasuke slowly opened his eyes to see the blonde idiot standing across his bed with his hands crossed nonchalantly on his chest, looking rather irritated.

"So you finally decided to wake up, huh? Do you know how long you were asleep? I know I'm great and all but, I didn't hit you that hard for you to be hospitalized this long!"

"Naruto?" His voice cracked. His eyes traveled from Naruto to the side table, looking for water.

_So thirsty._

"Who else can I be? Did I hit you too hard that you had amnesia?" Sasuke ignored the blonde and struggled to sit up, reaching for the pitcher on the side table.

_So very thirsty._

"Oi, are you even listening to me? I'm talking to you, y'know! And it's common _curtsy_ to respond when someone's speaking to you!" Naruto pointed an accusing finger to the struggling Sasuke, veins popping in his head. _This idiot. _

"Naruto, stop yelling you are in the hospital! And it isn't _curtsy_, it's courtesy, you baka!"

_Who is it now?_

That is when he noticed his pink-haired teammate standing by the door.

_Sakura._

His eyes met hers for a moment before she looked down- avoiding his gaze.

"But, Sakura-chan, he is being rude! You can see it too, can't you!" Naruto tried explaining himself, looking more like an idiot than ever. He notice her hesitate for a while before she walked towards the side table. She poured water in a glass and handed it to him a bit too timidly.

_Why is she being awkward?_

"You're thirsty aren't you?" Sakura spoke almost inaudibly. He took the glass and can't help but notice the way she pulled her hands when his fingers brushed hers, as if she got burned.

"Thanks." He whispered. Naruto, hearing the conversation between the two couldn't help but be surprised.

"Oi, Teme, you are not mad at her anymore? Did I really knock some sense into you?" There was suddenly an awkward silence- all confused in their own way.

"What are you talking about? Why would I be mad at her?" Naruto was shocked at his response, and Sakura was equally amazed at Naruto's uncalled for disbelief that Sasuke is not mad at her.

_Why is Naruto acting like that?_

**What is the dobe talking about?**

_Why would Sasuke be mad at me?_

**Why should I be mad at Sakura?**

_**What is really going on?**_

Sasuke raised a brow at the dumbfounded blonde, at the same time noticing the pink-haired girl furrowing her brows, deep in her own thoughts. That's when he figured out.

_Something's not quite right._


End file.
